When it was time for me to decide on a career it was not difficult.
Nursing seemed the natural thing. I learned of course that there
is much more to nursing than taking vital signs, changing dressings,
giving medications, assisting the doctor in different procedures
and carefully documenting what was done. There was this thing
called "caring," the real caring. This was the part
that patients most appreciated. It was the part that made the
difference between just any nurse and an excellent nurse. However,
it was the part that was not so clear cut. The nursing procedure
manuals and nursing text books do not describe this part of nursing
in nicely defined steps. There are volumes and volumes of standard
procedures and protocols for nursing explaining in pictures and
in words how to perform a specific procedure, but how does one
perform the procedure of "caring"? I discovered that
to be able to communicate a caring attitude one must find what
is meaningful to each individual patient. One must listen to
their stories.
When I became a nursing teacher I realized that for some students
both the measurable procedures and the caring part of nursing
came easy. These students were a delight to teach in the classroom
as well as in the clinical setting and a joy to their patients.
They were good at observing, measuring and performing the procedures
that had to be done with precision. Giving medications, taking
vital signs, performing procedures that require sterile technique
was not difficult for them. These delightful students could also
observe the patients' behaviors to find meaning and be able to
communicate a caring attitude.
My challenge was how to teach the students to whom caring
did not come easy that this is an extremely important part of
nursing care. Again I realized that it was important for me to
listen to the students' stories so I could help them identify
what caring meant to them and how they felt caring is communicated
to others. I needed to help them understand that the key to caring
is understanding the patients' stories and this can be done by
careful observation, talking with the patient and his/her significant
other to find meaningful experiences and interpret them in the
light of his/her health problem. It involved identifying the
sweet substances in a patient's life that when mixed with the
bitter taste of some experiences would help the medicine go down.
It meant helping the client find the inner and outer resources
available to him/her that would help deal with the stressors
in his/her life. There wasn't a testable and confirmable theory
to explain how to do this. It was not possible to measure this
reality in the same manner as physical reality. As I listened
to the students' stories I came to the realization that caring
is a very personal and subjective issue.
Then I became a doctoral student and began delving more into
the characteristics of quantitative and qualitative research
and became aware of not only the striking differences but also
of the need for both kinds of research methodologies in order
to broaden our understanding and make meaning of the world we
live in.
Conducting good research is like giving quality nursing care.
There are certain aspects of the nursing functions that must
be exact, that follow specific steps and guidelines and must
be assessed and carefully planned before the intervention takes
place. The nurse uses specific tools, instruments, and formats
for the assessment, measurement, intervention and documentation
of the nursing actions. S/he must have the knowledge and expertise
for using the tools necessary for the specific interventions.
These are very much like the functions of a quantitative researcher.
However, when I think of the "how" of the "caring"
aspects of nursing care, I realize the nurse's most important
tool is her/his self. This is the tool that will help the nurse
find meaning in the patients' stories and the researcher find
meaning in the interviewees stories. Therefore, qualitative research
is caring about others, listening to their personal stories and
sharing the meaning of your caring experiences with them. Qualitative
research is interested in helping take away people's 'awies.'
Isn't it amazing that even a child can understand what qualitative
research is about? Yet even a child knows that though it is very
soothing to be held in mommy's arms and have the assurance that
she cares, there are times that in order for the 'awie' to heal
it is necessary to take his temperature and give him some bitter
medicine. But, oh, it is so much better when this is done with
a caring attitude! Yes, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine
go down. Nurses and researchers, don't ever forget that. Nursing
is caring. Qualitative research is caring too.
-Edelweiss Ramal
The
Color Cartridge
I have always been looking for a better printer. Better quality
means better speed, better resolution, and of course less money.
This time I have bought a $99 color inkjet printer. In the package
only a black and white cartridge is included. Good quality, but
black and white.
Qualitative Research is like a color cartridge for a printer.
The printer was made to use both types of cartridges, but it
is sold only with the black and white one. You have to buy the
color one separately. In the beginning you say it is relatively
expensive and it not so necessary at that moment to pay $30 extra.
Nevertheless, when you decide to buy it, you realize that
you can see the real world in your office papers. It is not a
black and white world anymore. The printed pages come back to
life. The trees are green, the sky is blue and the strawberries
are red.
However, not all papers have to be printed in colors. The
color cartridge is more expensive and you have to save your money.
Why print in colors if your teachers are satisfied with black
and white only?
-Gabriel Bardan
Cooking
I like cooking, and I specialize in "inventing"
new dishes using the leftovers, although I can also cook from
scratch. Sometimes I use recipes, most times I don't. One of
the cherished jokes in my family has to do with my cooking: "Don't
ask Mom for the recipe!" Although they are not always sure
of what I use, they do like the results.
When one of my daughters got married, she wanted to continue
our tradition of corn or banana bread for Friday vespers. She
called me to ask for the recipe, and I tried, giving her the
general directions. She asked: "Is that the recipe?"
"Well, no, but I don't need it, I know what to use and how
much of it. Now, if you don't have this, you can use this other
thing." "Mom," she said, "how can you change
the ingredients and the amounts like that and still get good
results?" "Well," I said, "the secret is
to know the properties of the ingredients. If you know what they
can do, then you can change, and substitute as the need arises.
I think qualitative research is a lot like my cooking. The
secret is in knowing the qualities or properties of the
ingredients - that is, the components and tools used.
In that way we can always adjust, substitute, and change the
formula and still be confident that we will get good results,
whatever they might be.
-Aurea Araujr
Submarines: A Metaphor for Qualitative Research
As a young boy raised in the tropical island of Puerto Rico
I learned to love the beautiful beaches on the western part of
the island. The place is so relaxing and of special beauty is
the ocean world with its beautiful scenery and magnificent variety
of animals.
One of man's remarkable inventions is the submarine which
permits man to explore the fabulous ocean world. The Qualitative
Research method is like a submarine that patiently waits to be
used as a powerful instrument of investigation. It silently waits
to be submerged into the ocean, its favorite and natural habitat.
Above sea level it is noisy, hot or cold and one is considered
as just another species of existence. Below sea level it is quiet,
swift and beautiful. Qualitative researchers abandon the noisy
outside world to enter the quiet and sacred realms of his interviewees.
The researcher submerges him/herself in the deep waters of the
soul, as he likes to go deeper to reach the answers.
Once the submarine submerges himself in the ocean there are
so many beautiful things to see. There are so many treasures
to find that he can easily lose focus and thus undermine its
supplies alluring the possibility of disaster. Likewise, once
the qualitative researcher enters the deep world of inquiry and
is amazed by the immense possibilities of interest, he can easily
lose focus of his theme and lose sight of his purpose. Rather
he must strive to keep focused to achieve his goal.
As man created the submarine to explore the unexplored and
as he wanted to see the unseen, the qualitative researcher looks
to answer what he has questioned and find what others have ignored.
Just like the submarine functions on established procedures and
follows routes that have been marked by the experience of others
submarines, so the qualitative researcher navigates the roads
that others have paved to gain more knowledge and insight in
his preferred field of study. Failure to comply with procedures
could be fatal; thus the submarine captain perfectly understands
the immense power of the ocean. He takes detailed measures to
use his instrument knowledge wisely and effectively and respects
the laws that permit him to enter the immensity of the ocean.
In this same way the qualitative researcher understands the immense
power of his subject, realizing that inside of him relies tremendous
knowledge and wisdom, but to be able to reach the hidden treasures
he must be wise and intelligent to follow the correct procedures.
Not following these procedures could be fatal for the purpose
of the project and could leave scars of injustice in the interviewee.
Well managed submarines always look to establish new routes
and ways of navigating the ocean, but there has been a well planned
effort of taking into consideration the routes established by
previous submarines to visit and arrive at the unexplored. The
result has been new and exciting ways to navigate the ocean and
the establishment of new routes. For the same reason the qualitative
researcher visits the routes of knowledge transited by other
scholars, but moved by his wonderment seeks to answer new questions
and explore new lands of ideas. Once the submarine has found
its treasure and has complied its mission it surfaces above sea
level to communicate and celebrate its findings. The qualitative
researcher surfaces above sea level to intelligently communicate
what he has found as beneficial for the intellectual community
and for the benefit of society.
-Obed Jiménez
Tree Planting
The four week Christmas break was coming up when a friend
asked me: "What are you doing this winter?"
I explained to him my need of replenishing our family budget.
He then told me, "Let's go tree planting at Silsbee, Texas.
I'm taking a group of students to work with a reforesting company
where they could make enough money to cover next semester's tuition.
Silsbee, Texas was "established in 1894 by John Henry
Kirby as a sawmill town; today it is the home of the giant Kirby
Forest Industries." Getting off of the main highway, we
took a lesser country road 23 miles into the mountains until
we came to vast forests and woodlands.
We finally found the landmark we had been looking for, an
old red barn. Then, a little less than a mile down the road,
was the narrow dirt road, behind the huge old lightning-struck
pine. Just like they had told us. Here, we turned off the paved
road and two miles down we found a small clearing where there
was a small house made of wood on the left, an empty corral and
an old school-bus "coach."
This small tree planting company belongs to Andrew and John,
two brothers. Andrew is the youngest of the two. He is tall,
quick on the move, has a sharp mind for business, and a slight
Texan drawl. He is single and is the one who lives in the house.
He takes care of the business side of the company; orders the
seedlings that are to be planted, hires the crew and pays them
at the end of the week. John, on the other hand, is eight years
older than Andrew, three inches shorter and has a heavy Texan
drawl. He wears his long hair in a salt-and-pepper ponytail held
with a rubber band. He moves in a slower purposeful gait that
almost seems slothful. By just looking at him it seems obvious
that he once lived in a hippy commune. He still drives an old
1968 Volkswagen van, the ones that were white on the top half
and red on the bottom. He and his wife, Betty, live in the converted
school-bus coach.
Forest industries must constantly replenish their raw materials.
It is an interesting job. A full cycle from felling trees to
planting and having them ready to fell again might take around
40 years. In this job, you have to work in various types of terrain
and land in various stages of preparedness. For instance, there
are places where the land is easy to access, once the trees are
felled, the land is prepared for planting. Time and money are
poured into it, and as a result, trees grow faster and better.
Thus you can cut the harvesting time between four to six years.
This new crop of trees may be ready to fell in 35 years instead
of 40 or more. Forest Industry's administration tells Andrew
to plant one thousand trees per acre. The seedlings are to be
planted roughly two yards apart. So it is fairly simple to cover
great amounts of land with a crew of eight or ten people and
bring new life to what could become barren lands. Generally,
Andrew's crew works these lots. Their work is straightforward
and efficient, like quantitative research.
Then there is the other kind of land. One where a wind storm
brought down some of the trees and they were left there to rot.
Other areas had fallen victim to forest fires. Others still are
difficult to reach because of where they are situated.
This was John's land. His crew was considerably older than
Andrew's students. Because of the roughness of the land, they
had to be extra careful not to leave any "J-roots."
(A J-root happens when at the time of planting the seedling,
if you are not careful, the bottom part of the taproot may curl
back up in the form of a J) After five to six days, these mistakes
become evident in the form of dead seedlings among the rows.
In "John's land" the administration could also ask
for a specific amount of seedlings to be planted, but it is difficult
to know exactly how many will finally fit. You have to choose
the right spot to plant seedlings in order to give it a chance
of survival. For this to happen John and his crew have to crawl
over or go around stumps, rocks, thickets of brush and many other
obstacles.
This is how I visualize qualitative research. The "terrain"
is sometimes rough. The researcher, similar to John, should be
well suited for the task at hand. He should care for his/her
subjects, making sure that they are not harmed by the process.
Anyone can ask questions, record the, transcribe them and go
through all the steps. But not everyone wants to take time to
deal with others one on one, through difficult topics over extended
periods of time. But a good qualitative researcher will enjoy
this.
-Ekel Collins
